Joe Selover takes a break after snowboarding on Mt. Tremblant in Canada.Joe Selover is The Boarder, a local snowboarding expert who’s been on the slopes for nearly 10 years.

When he’s not out boarding, the 24-year-old who lives in Marcellus is working in the housekeeping department at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse or attending class at Onondaga Community College, where he’s majoring in recreational leadership.

Send questions for Joe to me (Outdoors Editor David Figura) at dfigura@syracuse.com.

Question: What is the secret to landing large jumps? I find myself leaning one way or another which results in an uncontrolled landing.
- Clicar3

The Boarder: The key to landing a nice clean jump is the following: as you leave the jump, you need to keep your weight centered, if not a little bit back. if you're leaning left or right, it may be because at some point after your takeoff, you're starting to rotate backside or frontside. Just keep your weight centered, be confident..., and what helps me... I sit at the jump for a bit and close my eyes and visualize myself leaving the jump, being in the air and landing. It may sound goofy, but that's what I always do. Let me know how everything works out and I wish you the best of luck! Throwing a 540 in there would be sweet, too.

Dave,
Just to let you know that I am a 45 year old snowboarder and have been a member of the OSC since 1993. While I may not be an expert like Joe Selover nor will I be going through the Half-pipe willingly, I just wanted to set the record straight since there are a few others in rhe club as well. Two decades ago I skied through a few half pipes and had a blast but was yelled at by the ski patrol. Now "ski-cross" is an Olympic event ! Oh well, I guess my friends and I were ahead of our time.